Worship Pastor / Composer Travis L. Boyd and his wife, Cynthia, provide inspiration and resources for the worship community and all believers through sharing the blessings of worship, faith, family, ministry, music, love, & life. We also share information about Worship Sounds Music, which can be found on our Worship Sounds website at worshipsounds.com ~ Downloadable Choral Anthems * Solos * Orchestrations * Worship Songs * Accompaniment Trax

Velma Baptist Church, where Travis and Cindy were saved in 1978 and first became involved in worship ministry. Velma Baptist was our home church during the time that this song story took place.

The stories of our songs are really stories of our faith journey. At the time that these events took place, Travis and I were both teaching public school music. Travis was a Band Director for grades 5 – 12, and I taught Elementary Music, K – 5. When Travis and I were both saved at Velma, Oklahoma, on September 3rd, 1978, we came out of the choir loft to respond to the invitation to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. Having been invited to the church by one of Travis’ band students, we had first attended on Father’s Day. We’d been attending all summer at the time of our salvation, and we had already begun serving in the music ministry of the church. God’s Holy Spirit had been at work in our hearts, drawing us to the Lord. After we were both saved and then baptised a week later, we rapidly became more active in the life of our church, looking for new ways to serve. Both of us helped with youth, entertained at youth functions (in a band with our Pastor on drums, our part-time Music Minister and teaching colleague on piano, and Travis on bass guitar), worked in Vacation Bible School, went as sponsor on youth trips and to youth camp at Falls Creek, sang solos when asked, and did all we could to learn and grow as Christians in the first year of our faith walk. During that year, Travis also began going to a class our Pastor had begun for young men who were called to ministry. Though he hadn’t yet made public his acceptance of God’s call on his life to vocational ministry, Travis demonstrated his willingness to serve through his desire to attend this special class. In the midst of all of these rapid changes in our hearts and lives, another change took place. Travis began to write songs about his faith walk and to sing them when given the opportunity. The first song that he was inspired to write was “The Magic of Jesus.”

In February of 1979, we attended our churchwide Valentine Banquet. The entertainer for the event was a Christian magician. He did a great job with the tricks he performed and then spoke about real magic. Stating that all of the tricks were just illusions, he explained that the only real magic was the magic of Jesus. He talked about how magic that is real is truly supernatural, going beyond what we call the laws of nature in a way that defies any ‘natural’ explanation. Whether walking on water, healing people, or changing a life from the inside out, the real magic of Jesus demonstrates that He is Lord over all of Creation. This message and the truth that it conveyed inspired Travis to write “The Magic of Jesus.” Until this point, I know of only 2 songs that Travis had written with lyrics. He wrote a song called “Money” (while in High School) about how people place too much importance on material things that don’t bring happiness. Then, when we were dating, he wrote a song for me. He did write other music, but it was all instrumental. He wrote original pieces for his bands to play in concert when he was a Band Director, and he did arrangements of well-known songs for his marching bands. “The Magic of Jesus” was the beginning point of the faith songs that Travis would write for decades to come. The next time that Travis was scheduled to sing a solo at church, he sang “The Magic of Jesus,” accompanying himself on piano. When I heard him play and sing this song, I knew that something was happening. It was my first realization that the Lord was going to use Travis in some way for His Kingdom, even beyond our local church music ministry. This event took place only a few months before Travis again responded to the invitation in May of 1979. This time, he was sharing with his church family the fact that he felt the Lord was calling him into some kind of vocational ministry. Since that time, I’ve been an eyewitness to the work of God through Travis’ life and music. It really has been magical…in the truest sense of the word. What God has done through Travis with these messages of faith has been far beyond what Travis could have or would have done on his own. The ministry of and through music that God has allowed Travis to share flows from the supernatural power of Christ in him….the ONLY kind of magic that is real and eternal.

“Water turned into wine, and He fed the multitude.

Come and see what the magic of Jesus can do for you.

Healing the leper, and causing the blind to see,

The magic of Jesus is here today for you and me.

CHORUS:
If you’ll open your heart, and let the Son of God come in and cleanse your soul,

He’ll mend your sin-torn life, if you let Him take control.

Eternity is just a prayer away…a sinner’s pleading call.

Because the magic of Jesus is the greatest magic of all.”

(lyrics from “The Magic of Jesus” c. 1979 by Travis L. Boyd)
Song story by Cynthia Boyd

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/